Illinois, Jonathan Brown get one more shot at redemption

Friday

It takes a lot of work to repair a reputation. Illinois sophomore linebacker Jonathan Brown learned that the hard way.

SAN FRANCISCO -- It takes a lot of work to repair a reputation. Illinois sophomore linebacker Jonathan Brown learned that the hard way.

An unsportsmanlike penalty called in the football season's fifth game against Northwestern, where replays appeared to show Brown ramming his knee into the groin of a Northwestern lineman, overshadowed one of the best seasons individually in Big Ten Conference play.

"It was the lowlight of my season that got put into a highlight,'' said Brown, whose move was caught by ESPN cameras. "It was bonehead. That's what people see me as, for the most part.

"Hopefully, my play speaks for me and the work I do.''

Like Brown, the Illini (6-6) get one last chance to repair their image against UCLA (6-7) in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ESPN).

Illinois coaches said the Brown's infraction against Northwestern's Patrick Ward wasn't as it appeared.

"The way it looked on YouTube, it became the court of public opinion,'' said Illini interim coach Vic Koenning. "He's a better person than that.

"Without a doubt, everybody makes mistakes. That's a mistake in front of a lot of people. He didn't even hit the guy in the (groin). He hit the guy in the leg, whether he missed (the target) or not. But he did it. Sometimes you have to pay the price.''

Brown wasn't thrown out of the game even though an official watched the play immediately behind Brown, and Illini coaches said that proved Brown's knee landed somewhere other than the groin.

"It definitely wasn't what it was made out to be,'' Brown said.

Brown served a one-game suspension and took a hit on message boards, not to mention the damage done to his name in football offices around the league.

"I don't care to know,'' Brown said. "I know it's not me. It was a mistake. At the end of the day, I moved past it and accepted it.''

While the media made him a second-team pick, Brown was passed over for the first- and second-teams by Big Ten coaches.

"I heard he got black-balled because of that deal,'' said Koenning.

Brown played a big role in a defense that stood seventh nationally. The Memphis native ranked sixth in the Big Ten with 102 tackles and second behind teammate Whitney Mercilus with 19 tackles for a loss. In league play, Brown tied for the league lead with Mercilus with 14.5 TFLs and ranked second in the Big Ten with 11.9 tackles per game (83 in seven games).

"He's so dad-gum instinctive,'' Koenning said. "He feels things. He's calling out plays. He's the epitome of a linebacker. A linebacker is supposed to read light hands, heavy hands. He understands football. He grew up with it. You can teach him. He retains it.''

Brown needs some supervision off the court to get all the responsibilities completed, though he's matured this year, Koenning said. The challenge for Brown is controlling his emotions.

"Linebacker is an emotional position,'' he said. "Defense is the emotional side of the ball. Just keeping everything bottled up and starting to use my head is something I work on, too.''

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @JohnSupinie.

*****

SAN FRANCISCO -- It's probably the last game of his career, so Illinois linebacker Trulon Henry wants to go out in style.

Injured by gunfire during an early-morning party on Nov. 13 that kept him from playing the final two games of the regular season -- including senior day -- Henry had the cast removed and will attempt to play when Illinois (6-6) meets UCLA (6-7) in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in AT&T Park Saturday (2:30 p.m., ESPN).

The 27-year-old Henry, the older brother of former Illini star receiver Arrelious Benn, practiced with the Illini this week at Laney College in Oakland and will wear a soft cast on his right hand. He may contribute more on special teams than defense, but significant pain remained from the gunshot wound that broke a bone.

"You'd like to take advantage of his spirit,'' said Illinois interim coach Vic Koenning, who also serves as defensive coordinator. "We'll see how it goes. He might be out there the first play, but then he might not.''

Ashante Williams, who missed most of the season after a DUI arrest in July, will also play at the position.

With the hand turned into a club because of the padding, "I really can't do much,'' Henry said, and interceptions would "still be one-handed.''

Otherwise, fullback Jay Prosch made the trip but won't play because of a staph infection in his knee. Running back Jason Ford was declared academically ineligible.

SIDELINES: Illinois coach Tim Beckman, who was hired on Dec. 9, will roam the sidelines during the Illinois-UCLA game. His contribution to gameday is unclear, but Beckman attended bowl practice this week.

ASSISTANT CONTRACTS: Illini assistant coaches Jeff Brohm, Chip Long and Ron West hired legal representation in a disagreement with the Illinois athletic department over rollover contracts.
While assistants Joe Gilbert, Keith Gilmore, Mike Gillhamer and DeAndre Smith signed contracts on the advice of legal representatives that will pay them through the 2012 season if they don’t find new jobs, the other three assistants will only be paid through February after signing contracts without reading them closely, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Gilmore was already retained by Beckman.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @JohnSupinie.

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